Mercenaries/Session 3D
20:00 <~abudhabi> GENTLEMEN. 20:01 <~abudhabi> Last time, you jumped to Daflanzhr accurately. 20:01 < Nuramor> we neva dun nuthin' 20:01 -!- Nuramor is now known as Lucas 20:01 <~abudhabi> Any last wor^W^Wfinal preparations or skill trainings collapsed from their quantum state? 20:01 -!- Remmon is now known as Arthur 20:04 <~abudhabi> What did you aim for in the system? 20:06 <&Arthur> The gas giant, we need the fuel. 20:06 <~abudhabi> You arrive at the closer gas giant. EduSens! 20:06 <&Arthur> !2d6+3: EduSensors 20:06 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "EduSensors": (4+1)+3. Total: 8. 20:07 < Lucas> !2d6+1+2: EduSensors 20:07 <+PainBot> Lucas rolled "EduSensors": (4+5)+1+2. Total: 12. 20:08 <~abudhabi> There is a Zhodani refueling station in polar orbit. 20:08 -!- maz is now known as Luffy 20:08 * Luffy semi afk while getting dressed 20:09 <&Arthur> We shall endeavour to avoid its notice. Our transponder after all is still off. 20:09 <~abudhabi> It is broadcasting "fuel here" in the Zhodani civilian protocol. 20:09 * Vittorio will take us to refuel then inside the gas giant, not at the station 20:09 <~abudhabi> If there was anyone on it, they would have certainly noticed your entry by your jumpspace spur. 20:10 <~abudhabi> *spoor 20:11 <~abudhabi> Vittorio refuels. 20:13 <&Arthur> And then on to the main world! 20:14 <~abudhabi> You putput to the main world, and get there after a couple of days. EduSense! 20:15 <&Arthur> !2d6+3: EduSensors 20:15 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "EduSensors": (2+4)+3. Total: 9. 20:16 <~abudhabi> There's a lone comsat doing rounds around the otherwise barren-seeming rock. It seems to be broadcasting a landing beacon; by its geostationary placing, you figure it's above the "frontier installation" type of starport. 20:18 <&Arthur> "Let's start by putting us in a low orbit and doing some orbits of this place, see if we can't spot our target from orbit." 20:19 <~abudhabi> Vittorio presumably puts you in low orbit. Anyone wants to roll EduSense? 20:20 * Arthur meanwhile tries to find the data put onto the ship's computers by Junction. 20:21 <~abudhabi> Arthur: You find it. What you're looking for a is a rock. A really big rock. 20:21 < Lucas> !2d6+1+2: EduSensors 20:21 <+PainBot> Lucas rolled "EduSensors": (1+3)+1+2. Total: 7. 20:21 <&Arthur> Any information narrowing down location? 20:21 <~abudhabi> Arthur: None at all. 20:22 <&Arthur> Welp. Time to start surveying. 20:22 <&Arthur> !2d6+3: EduSensors 20:22 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "EduSensors": (6+2)+3. Total: 11. 20:22 <~abudhabi> Lucas: That's a lot of planet. Which appears to have a thin atmosphere, no water, and a lot of rocks and dust. 20:24 <~abudhabi> Arthur: That's still a lot of planet. If what you were looking for was laying around in the open, you might be able to spot it. But it's only like 2 dtons in volume; and not guaranteed to even be on the surface. 20:26 <&Arthur> "Well, if it's on the surface we might be able to find it in a reasonable amount of time." 20:26 <&Arthur> "If it's buried, things are going to be rather more complicated..." 20:27 <&Vittorio> "what's it made of?" 20:28 * Arthur sends Vittorio a copy of the file 20:28 <&Arthur> Anything on composition? 20:29 <~abudhabi> Arthur: Appears to be mainly hematite. 20:29 <&Arthur> "Hematite." 20:29 <&Vittorio> "so would using a densitometer help finding this thing?" 20:30 <&Arthur> "Possibly. Hematite's magnetic too, so we could narrow down the search area some that way." 20:31 <&Arthur> @Lucas, how accurate do you think you can get our sensors? How big of a mass of hematite would it be able to detect.@ 20:32 <&Vittorio> "Ok, so next question - if that fuel station is automated, what kind of sensors does it use for finding harvestable material? Or does it just suck up everything regardless?" (not sure exactly how gas giants work, are there pockets we have to avoid when refuling?) 20:33 <~abudhabi> Lucas: You could use tune sensors to detect large amounts of magnetic material, sure. Whether that will work depends on whether this crust is rich in stuff like iron. 20:33 <&Arthur> (Gas giants are usually in layers like an onion, so it just has a hose down into the layer with the most hydrogen and a refiner to get all the impurities out) 20:34 < Lucas> @Could work. Any other native deposits would cause trouble though.@ 20:35 <&Arthur> @Here's to hoping this place isn't full of hematite.@ 20:36 < Lucas> @Gonna give it a shot then.@ 20:36 * Lucas starts tuning the sensors for Hematite 20:37 <~abudhabi> Lucas: Roll Int+Sensors. 20:39 < Lucas> !2d6+2+2: IntSensors - Finding Hematite 20:39 <+PainBot> Lucas rolled "IntSensors - Finding Hematite": (5+3)+2+2. Total: 12. 20:41 <~abudhabi> Lucas: You find out that the world is generally poor in iron. There are a few veins here and there, that you can detect from orbit. What you also detect from orbit is an (apparently) abandoned collection of buildings near the equator. 20:42 < Lucas> @Huh. There seems to be a group of buildings near the equator.@ 20:42 < Lucas> @Not much else, sadly.@ 20:43 <&Arthur> @Now now, that's a good thing. Less chance of us getting interrupted and less area to search. We'll get some images of those buildings on our next pass over.@ 20:48 <~abudhabi> And? 20:48 <&Arthur> Waiting for us to pass over that area again so we can get those images. 20:48 <~abudhabi> Roll EduSense. 20:50 < Lucas> !2d6+1+2: EduSensors - Making Pictures 20:50 <+PainBot> Lucas rolled "EduSensors - Making Pictures": (6+1)+1+2. Total: 10. 20:50 <~abudhabi> The buildings have been here a while. The winds have blown a considerable amount of dust. There's about ten of them, give or take a few in considerable state of disrepair. 20:50 <~abudhabi> Most of them would be capable of hiding the Keystone. 20:50 <&Arthur> !2d6+3: Any ferromagnetic signatures big enough down amongst them? 20:50 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "Any ferromagnetic signatures big enough down amongst them?": (5+3)+3. Total: 11. 20:52 <~abudhabi> Arthur: Some of them are entirely made of iron or steel, or at least coated with it. 20:52 <&Arthur> @We're going to have search those buildings.@ 20:54 <&Vittorio> @want me to land?@ 20:54 <~abudhabi> (No, let's beam down.) 20:54 <&Arthur> @You got any other way down?@ 20:54 <&Vittorio> @drop luffy using his grav belt?@ 20:55 * Vittorio will land at the buildings 20:56 <~abudhabi> You touch down on the planet, next to the ghost town. Atmosphere's thin and unbreathable. OTOH, it's not opaque! 20:57 * Arthur gets his kit 20:58 <&Arthur> @Luffy, we're going outside.@ 20:58 <&Luffy> @rgr@ | /me kits up 20:58 <~abudhabi> test | test 20:59 <&Arthur> testing? | testing? 20:59 <~abudhabi> Who's going out and who's staying? 21:00 <&Luffy> '/say test | /say test 21:00 <&Arthur> Luffy, myself. Lucas, Vittorio, either of you feel like going for a trip? 21:00 <&Vittorio> "Can do" 21:01 <~abudhabi> The rest of the crew also wants to go. 21:01 <~abudhabi> They seem to be on edge from the lack of recent shore leave. 21:02 <&Arthur> We can take them two at a time. I want to keep at least two gunners on the ship in case we need to come running. 21:02 < Lucas> Ah yes, we 'want' to go 21:03 <~abudhabi> Dogen volunteers to stick around the ship. @No promises I won't step out.@ 21:05 <~abudhabi> Right, who wants to roll Int + Investigate? 21:05 <&Arthur> !2d6+4: IntInvestigating! 21:05 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "IntInvestigating!": (6+3)+4. Total: 13. 21:05 < Lucas> !2d6+2-3 : Let's try this 21:05 <+PainBot> Lucas rolled "Let's try this": (5+5)+2-3. Total: 9. 21:06 <&Vittorio> !2d6 : Int Investigation 21:06 <+PainBot> Vittorio rolled "Int Investigation": (3+1). Total: 4. 21:09 <~abudhabi> Arthur and Lucas, despite Vittorio's help, go through ruins, searching for stuff. It's been a very long time since these structures were raised, maybe a century, but there was someone here much more recently. The place is devoid of anything of value (some fairly new trash is in evidence, though), but you do find a Zhodani-make personal assistant that someone apparently lost. 21:10 * Arthur passes that to the only person he knows that can do computers. Lucas! 21:10 <&Arthur> !roll nothing 21:10 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "nothing": nothing. Total: nothing. 21:11 <~abudhabi> Lucas: With your amazing tech skills, you determine that the battery is dead and broken. 21:11 * Lucas takes a look at the PA 21:11 < Lucas> @Welp, battery's dead.@ 21:11 <&Arthur> @Well yeah, I got that far.@ 21:11 < Lucas> @Gonna take a look at it once we're done out here.@ 21:12 * Arthur tries to make an estimate as to how recent the recent trash is. Are we talking weeks, months, years? 21:13 <~abudhabi> Arthur: Months to a year. 21:14 <&Arthur> @They were here a few months to a year ago, so pretty recent.@ 21:15 <~abudhabi> !roll 1d6 21:15 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "1d6": (4). Total: 4. 21:16 <~abudhabi> You make a sweep of the place. Nothing more interesting here. Someone appears to have hoovered up anything worthwhile. This might have been a doomed colony at one point, but it's hard to tell now. 21:17 <&Arthur> @Right, let's head back to the ship, give the other group some time to stretch their legs before we head back to orbit again.@ 21:18 <~abudhabi> Lucas: Roll Edu + Computer/Engineer(Electro) 21:18 < Lucas> !2d6+1+1: EduComputers 21:18 <+PainBot> Lucas rolled "EduComputers": (2+5)+1+1. Total: 9. 21:19 <~abudhabi> Lucas: You jury rig a compatible battery for the PA. It boots up! Everything is in Zdetl. 21:20 < Lucas> "...Great" 21:21 < Lucas> I run it though the ship translator 21:23 < Lucas> Fine, I use it normally. Spoilsport 21:24 <~abudhabi> Lucas: It wants you to log on. 21:25 < Lucas> I try to circumvent the login. 21:26 <~abudhabi> Roll Int + Computers -2. 21:26 < Lucas> !2d6+2+1-2: Circumventing the login 21:26 <+PainBot> Lucas rolled "Circumventing the login": (6+4)+2+1-2. Total: 11. 21:28 <~abudhabi> Lucas: You log on! A brief exploration suggests that this thing belonged to an undergraduate student of archaeology. 21:30 < Lucas> @Alright, short update: I was able to access the PA we found. Apparently it belonged to an archeology student or something like that.@ 21:31 <&Arthur> @Can you find what they were here for and where they came from?@ 21:31 < Lucas> Can i find anything about what we're looking for? 21:31 < Lucas> Also that 21:34 <~abudhabi> Lucas: "Anything interesting", apparently; the student in question doesn't seem to have the information about the specific goals of the expedition leaders. The University of Iepriats sent them, twenty people in all, three faculty and seventeen students. You find a map of the planet with a set of "dig" and "investigation" sites. 21:39 * Lucas relays that to Arthur 21:39 <&Arthur> @We'll do some more orbits, see if we can't spot anything useful. If we can't, we'll have to go to Iepriats for more information, I suspect...@ 21:40 < Lucas> @What about the dig sites?@ 21:41 <&Arthur> @Good places to check, if they left anything. Start by checking from orbit.@ 21:44 <&Arthur> @Can you get Vittorio a list of sites?@ 21:44 < Lucas> @Sure.@ 21:45 <&Vittorio> @So, you want me overfly them or land us at each site?@ 21:45 <&Arthur> @Start with overflights. This thing's big enough that we can spot it from orbit if it's not covered.@ 21:47 * Vittorio takes us over the sites on the list 21:48 <~abudhabi> Someone rolls EduSense? 21:48 <&Arthur> !2d6+3: Edusensors 21:48 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "Edusensors": (2+4)+3. Total: 9. 21:48 < Lucas> !2d6+1+2: EduSensors 21:48 <+PainBot> Lucas rolled "EduSensors": (1+6)+1+2. Total: 10. 21:52 <~abudhabi> You fly over the sites. None of them appear to have anything remotely approaching what you are looking for. Some of the digs are substantial, though, and could totally fit that rock! 21:54 <&Arthur> @Well shit. We're going to end up having to land at a Zhodani starport after all...@ 21:55 <&Vittorio> @Oh goody, I'm sure that will work out well for us@ 21:58 <&Arthur> @Well, let's have a closer look at those sites and we'll know for sure.@ 21:58 < Lucas> @At least the bigger ones.@ 22:01 * Vittorio will take us down then to each in turn 22:02 <&Arthur> (I expect we'll be able to get a good enough look from inside the ship at most of those sites. We can go outside for a few if needed though) 22:02 <~abudhabi> !roll 1d6,10 22:02 <+PainBot> abudhabi rolled "1d6,10": (2), (2), (5), (3), (5), (5), (3), (1), (3), (3). Total: 2 2 5 3 5 5 3 1 3 3. 22:03 <~abudhabi> You spend a day and a half flying between places and investigating the ones that are not just an open pit you can point the baleful gaze of the nearest sensor at. 22:04 <~abudhabi> You find trash, discarded tents, low-value old trash that wasn't worth the cost to haul it, and no giant hematite rocks. 22:05 < Lucas> Any indicators that there may have been a two-ton rock that has been hauled away? 22:05 < Lucas> *fifty-ton 22:05 < Lucas> *multi-ton 22:06 <~abudhabi> Lucas: Three of the sites could have fit the rock. Roll Int + Investigate. 22:06 <&Arthur> !2d6+4: That is my job! 22:06 <+PainBot> Arthur rolled "That is my job!": (4+4)+4. Total: 12. 22:07 <~abudhabi> One site bears marks of heavy duty grav lifts being used. 22:12 <&Arthur> @Right. I'll be plotting us a jump to Iepriats... Let's get us to the jump limit.@ 22:13 * Vittorio pilots us to the limit 22:14 < Lucas> !2d6+2+1+2: Charging the Jump 22:14 <+PainBot> Lucas rolled "Charging the Jump": (5+2)+2+1+2. Total: 12. 22:14 <&Vittorio> "so, how're we going to get access to a university archaeology department - without getting arrested or killed - or killing half the student body?" 22:15 <&Arthur> "It's archaeology, not weapons research." 22:15 < Lucas> "Pretending to be interested on financing them?" 22:16 < Lucas> "Just claim you were always interested in the subject and start waving numbers with many digits around. 22:16 < Lucas> "It'll at least get you on the grounds." 22:16 <&Arthur> "Now I wish we had a genuine archaeologist around. I doubt I could play the part in front of a real professor of archaeology..." 22:21 < Lucas> "But I'm sure you can play the part of the rich amateur archeologist who wants to see some "real archeology" at work." 22:21 <&Arthur> "That shouldn't be too difficult." 22:22 <&Arthur> "Dogen, would that even fly at a Zhodani university?" 22:22 <&Arthur> "Because that could at least get us in the door, let us confirm they have the rock." 22:23 <&Arthur> "If they do, we might be able to throw money at the problem. If money won't work, we might have to piss off another planetary government." 22:24 <~abudhabi> Dogen makes faces. 22:24 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "It really depends on how much you intend to lie." 22:25 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "If you let slip for a nanosecond that you're not nobility, and you are in the presence of nobility, they will read your mind." 22:25 <&Vittorio> "I don't think its worth the risk - given the secrets you probably have hidden away" 22:27 <&Arthur> "What are the odds of running into nobility in there? I thought most of them where in the government and military?" 22:28 <&Vittorio> "Its a university archaeology department - you know, people hanging round talking about ancient history and the glorious past and ancestors and such - sounds like prime noble territory to me" 22:29 * Arthur throws a pointed look at Dogen, our resident Zhodani expert. 22:30 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "I don't know Iepriats, it's a backwater. The faculty are certainly at least Intendants. The students would most likely be, too." 22:30 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "Distance gives you advantage, especially with our implants. They probably won't be able to read us from orbit." 22:31 <&Arthur> "So if we're going in there and we're lying, we need to look and act like Zhodani nobility... That's going to be pretty hard." 22:33 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "We're probably not going to succeed at that. Pretending to be Intendant is much easier." 22:34 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "As long as they don't think we're proles, we get *some* privacy." 22:36 <&Arthur> "Intendant might be easier. You're going to have to coach me. Probably best if it's just you and me in there." 22:38 <&Arthur> "If that falls through, what do you think the odds are of the truth working? Or at least most of it." 22:39 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "The truth? You mean telling them outright that a planet-sized robotic ship built by the Ancients gave us a fetch quest to bring it a stone?" 22:39 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "And that they should give it up?" 22:40 <&Arthur> "Yup..." 22:41 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "Why not just coast in, blow their defenses to smithereens, grab the stone, and scoot?" 22:41 <&Vittorio> "why must we kill everything we come across?" 22:41 <&Arthur> "That'll be plan B. I was hoping for a plan C." 22:41 < Lucas> "We don't know for sure they have it?" 22:42 <&Arthur> "That's why plan A involves lying our way inside." 22:42 < Lucas> "Or if they had it and transported it further." 22:42 <&Vittorio> "go and buy it? Just turn up and say 'we hear you have a thing we want, how much?'" 22:42 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "I was not being serious. But I understand why you'd think I was." 22:42 <&Arthur> "Guess it depends on their facilities as well. If they've got shit for defences which does seem likely, playing the pirate card might work." 22:49 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "What are we telling the crew? They're not the happiest about where we are." 22:49 <&Arthur> "I'm thinking along the lines of bonus pay or danger money." 22:50 <&Arthur> "Might be time to get them up to speed as to why we're doing this though." 22:51 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "OK, as it stands it's sort of like..." 22:53 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "...they're unhappy about us apparently flying dark, about the lack of longer stops, about the very limited social interaction with people who are not us, etcetera. They're bonus unhappy about your attitude towards drinking on board." 22:53 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "This is somewhat counterbalanced that they're scared both of you, Arthur, and Luffy." 22:53 <&Arthur> "I suppose I can relax the drinking rules a little, at least on the first few days in jump." 22:53 * Vittorio in a sotto voice 'with good reason' 22:55 < Lucas> (("The last time someone mutinied, the had to be swept up with a mop!")) 22:55 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "OK, that'll help." 22:55 <&Arthur> "We've got five, maybe six weeks left until we get back to Imperial space. At that point we can take some shore leave." 22:55 <&Luffy> @chuckles@ 22:55 <&Vittorio> ((and their bits picked out of the drive - or are you still finding bits of skull in the little nooks?)) 22:57 <~abudhabi> Dogen: "I'll keep you informed on moods. But understand that most people - even spacers - are not capable of staying sane in isolation for extended periods. And even a couple of weeks can be very strenuous." 22:57 <&Vittorio> "that explains a lot about us then..." 22:58 <~abudhabi> Dogen makes a face that seems to say 'I did not want to explicitly say that'. 23:01 <&Arthur> "Well, we're not exactly most people. Luffy's a marine, I've got more cover identities than I can count with just my hands and Vittorio, well, I guess a former navy man turned arms dealer isn't exactly normal either." 23:02 <&Vittorio> "eh, I'm normal for my peer group" 23:02 < Lucas> "Arms dealers? or former navy personnel?" 23:03 <&Vittorio> "the bit of the venn diagram where to two meet... actually for an arms dealer I'm very sociable and surprisingly mentally ballanced" 23:03 <&Arthur> "Which just leaves Lucas. I can't recall your back story off the top of my head." 23:03 <~abudhabi> Dogen mutters something about requisitioning 'sanity chips'. 23:03 <&Vittorio> "because as a captain he cares... very little" 23:04 <&Arthur> "Well, I've got prior history with you and Luffy, Vittorio." 23:04 < Lucas> "Normal engineer, then a normal merchant. Then I hired on with you as an engineer again and was asked to storm a building." 23:04 <&Arthur> "If I recall, you did it too." 23:04 < Lucas> "Then things went weird." 23:05 <&Vittorio> "only then - you probably just didn't know what was going on before hand" 23:05 <&Arthur> "Yeah, things were pretty weird before you came on." 23:05 < Lucas> "Not in my life they weren't." 23:08 <~abudhabi> Alright. You get to the limit. Anyone want to pull the lever of the jump drive? 23:08 <~abudhabi> Ah, yes. Lucas did that. 23:08 <~abudhabi> We'll end here unless you lot have more talking to do, and pick up in Iepriats.